64-Year Old Crushes 9-Year-Old Cousin To Death By SITTING On Her As Punishment

A 23-stone babysitter is accused of crushing a nine-year-old girl to death by sitting on her for 10 minutes as punishment.

Veronica Green Posey was arrested in Florida following the death of Dericka Lindsay, who is believed to have had a heart attack.

The young girl told adults she could not breathe before she died, it is alleged.

Posey, 64, who is listed as being the girl's cousin, was charged with homicide and cruelty to a child, the News Journal reports.

Two others, Grace Joan Smith, 69, and James Edmund Smith, 62 - listed as the girl's parents - have been charged with neglect for allegedly failing to report the abuse.

Dericka was being punished for misbehaving when she was crushed, a police report states.

When she stood up, Posey attempted CPR and called 911, prosecutors have said.

In Grace Smith's arrest report, she said she had called Posey over to her house for assistance with disciplining Dericka.

Grace Smith told the investigating deputy that Posey struck Dericka with a ruler and a metal pipe, before Dericka ran to an armchair.
And in James Smith's arrest report, the paper said he told the deputy that Posey sat on Dericka in the armchair for an estimated 10 minutes before Dericka complained of not being able to breathe.

He told the deputy Posey continued to sit on the child for another two minutes before standing up and finding the child unresponsive.